Chamber and committees

We have got a very short period of time. Summarise both very quickly, because I have more questions, as you would imagine.

Why not manufacture SAF here?

Just give us a brief summary. What bothers me about how you are doing things at the moment is that there may be a future impact on confidence in moving some of these projects forward.

I think that we could go on for quite some time about the competitive international market. From an energy security point of view, there have to be changes to that market. To reduce our overall carbon footprint, there have to be changes to that market, as well.

What I am driving at is that we should, from an energy security point of view, be utilising the North Sea basin to the max to save on importing crude and product. Would not it be better to utilise the pipeline from Forties to Kinneil more? Would it be beneficial for Petroineos if the UK Government, in particular, looked at what could be done to help with energy security by investing in it? I am well aware of the 2013 rescue plan, which led to a £9 million grant from the Scottish Government and £125 million of loan security from the UK Government. Is it time to look at security, and loan security, in relation to future energy security and reducing the carbon footprint?

The previous panel, particularly Mr Pritchard, was keen to stress that the announcement will have no impact on the plans for the Scottish cluster and the Acorn project. Is that your understanding? How will the Scottish Government continue to scrutinise the matter to ensure that that is the case?

On the specific point about sustainable aviation fuel, the previous witnesses said that things might happen in one year, two years or three years, but that they would not give a date at this time. That was very vague. I hope that the strategic commercial assets division is managing to get a little more out of people than that.

The witnesses also said that people are masterplanning, and that the master plan might deliver this but maybe not that. My experience of masterplanning is that a course for delivery is set and, if something does not happen, that is a wee bit of a failure, to say the least.

I would like your thoughts on the level of scrutiny that is taking place, and on the Government and the divisions that deal with Prestwick airport banishing that vagueness.

Extraordinary rendition is illegal under international law.

In my previous role, I met the Civil Aviation Authority to discuss some of those issues. Can you tell us about your discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority about the licensing aspect and ensuring safety, if and when you become a spaceport?

You have not talked about what the barriers are. What are they and how can they be overcome?

There have been some controversies over the years around some of the flights coming into and leaving not only Prestwick but Aberdeen, in my patch. It has been suggested that those flights have been used for extraordinary rendition. How does Prestwick airport ensure that there is no breaking of international law and that the airport is not profiting from such?